Lighter.



'H. D. COLEMAN.

LIGHTER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 23,1912.

71,069,530, Patented Aug.5, 1913.

UNTTED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

HAMILTON DUDLEY COLEMAN, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

LIGHTER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAMILTON DUDLEY COLEMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLighters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to improvements in lighters for use intransmitting a flame from a match, or other source of heat, to thearticle to be ignited, whether it be a lamp wick, a gas jet, kindlingwood, or other inflammable material.

My invention is intended to provide a safe and efficient lighter bywhich the flame may be transmitted through the desired distance, andthus reach the wick of a lamp, lantern or headlight, or the center of agrate, or any other location where the inflammable material is placed,without rendering it necessary to remove the lamp chimney, or to disturbthe kindling; and, in case of use with explosive oils, whereby the firemay be lighted at a safe distance.

My invention will be more clearly understood by reference totheaccompanying drawings, in which the lighter is shown as applied for usewith a kerosene lamp, it being especially adapted for this purpose.

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the lamp, with the lighter placed inposition after the lamp chimney has been applied. Fig. 2 is a detailsection of a lamp burner showing a modified form of lighter; Fig. 3 is adetail view of the upper end of the lighter shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is asimilar view to Fig. 2, but shows the lamp lighter applied, in fulllines through the screen at the base of the burner, and in dotted linesthrough an open ing between the lamp chimney and the side of the burner;Fig. 5 is a detail, on a larger scale, showing the lighter of Fig. 1;Fig. 6 shows the lighter in the form of a straight rod, especiallyadapted for use in kindling fires, or the like; and Fig. 7 illustrates amodified form of lighter provided with an offset wire for hooking overthe top of a lamp chimney to support the lighter out of contact withsaid chimney.

The lighter is formed of any suitable inflammable material, such ascelluloid or cot- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 23, 1912.

Patented Aug. 5,1913.

Serial No. 721,893.

ton, and may be provided with a stiffening wire core or with aprojecting wire offset to support the inflammable material out ofcontact with a lamp chimney. The lighter may be in the form of a singlestraight rod, such as shown at 1 in Fig. 6, or this rod 1 may have abent arm 2, as shown in Figs. 1, 3, t and 5. Figs. 25 show the lighterprovided with a wire core 3'which preferably does not extend the fulllength of the rod 1, and is continued as at 1, partly extending throughthe bent arm 2, when such arm is provided. Beyond the end of the wire 3,in the rod 1, is a mass of celluloid, or similar inflammable material 5,which is completely consumed when the lighter has been fired.

In practice, when the lamp is cleaned, the wick trimmed, and the chimneyput on, the lighter is put in place and left in site until it is desiredto light the lamp, when a match is applied to the free end of thelighter, and the flame rapidly travels along the rod 1, reaching thepart 5 and igniting the lamp wick. The inflammable shell will be burnedaway from the wire, and this may be either removed by hand, or may beleft in place, without in any way affecting the efliciency of the lamp.It will be seen that it will be entirely unnecessary to remove thechimney, or to touch any part of the lamp, except possibly to turn thewick up in the usual way, after the lighter has been ignited; and itwill also be noted that after the wick has been trimmed and turned up tothe proper position for lighting, the lighter may be put in place, andmay remain in position for an indefinite period, and yet always be available for lighting the lamp when desired.

To use the apparatus for lighting tires, a lighter with a bent end maybe employed, if desired; but a straight, rod-shaped lighter would beordinarily preferable, such as is shown in Fig. 6, in which case, theend 5 would be inserted at the spot where it is desired to start thefire, and the other end, protruding from the grate or kindling wood,could be readily ignited, as by applying a match.

The celluloid, or other inflammable material, may be applied to the wirestiffener in any convenient way, as by coating the wire with celluloidwhile the same is in a plastic condition, or by forming tubes ofcelluloid, and inserting the wire, or in any way that is mostconvenient.

The herein described lighter is especially suitable for lighting lamps,chandeliers, or the like, which are suspended from the ceiling, andwhich it is diflioult, and often clangerous, to take down for purposesof lighting same. All that is required is that the lighter shall beplacedin position after the lamp is cleaned and the wick trimmed, andthe lamp is put back in place. After the lighter is applied, the lampcan be lighted when desired, without removing same at all from itssupport, or disturbing the chimney in any way. It will also be evidentthat, the fire being laid, kindling wood prepared, etc.,

the lighter may be inserted, and would be available for use whenever itwas deei red to start the fire.

Fig. 7 illustrates a modified construction, in which a stiffening Wire 9is threaded through, or otherwise attached to, the strip of inflammablematerial 10., and provided with a bent or offset portion 11 for hookingover the top of a lamp chimney for supporting the inflammable portion ofthe lighter out of contact with said chimney.

WVhile any suitable inflammable substitute may be used for celluloid, Iprefer celluloid, because it is cheap, highly inflammable, is not apt toblow out with ordinary movements of the air around the lamp or fire, and

because it does not leave any smoke, or other objectionable deposit, onthe lamp chimney.

Instead of using the wire core, I may use a tube, rod, or strip ofcelluloid, or other in.- flammable material, substantially of the shapeherein illustrated and described, but omitting the wire core.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is l. A lamp lighter comprising arod of inflammable material, such as celluloid, bent near one end toengage a portion of the lamp, the said lamp lighter being adapted toconduct flame from some point exterior to the wick, substantially asdescribed.

2. A lamp lighter comprising a rod of inflammable material, such ascelluloid, bent near one end to engage a portion of the lamp, the saidlamp lighter being adapted to conduct flame from some point exterior tothe wick, and being provided with a stiffening core extending across thebent portion of the lamp lighter, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I a fiix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

HAMILTON DUDLEY COLEMAN.

\Vitnesses M. I. Evans, A. E. SANOILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

